Discuss the latest comic book news and front page articles, read or post your own reviews of comics, and talk about anything comic book related. Threads from the two subforums below will also show up here. News Stand topics can also be read and posted in from The Asylum.

I will have to check that out. I love Atomic Robo. I will say that the art doesn't really appeal to me, although a story can overcome the art, if it is good enough.

I am a couple months into Girl Genius right now and I am enjoying it. girlgeniusonline.com. It is still heavy exposition where I am at, but it is lots of fun and the interface while clunky, is simple and really effective.

I want to hop in and write a brief review* Mocktopus Comics by Max Huffman-
Max Huffman is a 15 year old kid in High School that makes roughly two web comics a week. I found out about the site through the Let's Be Friends Again guys (he did a fill in for them this week) and Chris Sims on twitter.

I like these comics. I like them a lot. In tone and temperment, they remind me a lot of the comics I read online when I first got the internet (mainly PLIF), largely due to a sense that anything can end up in one of the comics (all of the other web comics I read are pretty well established at this point and I generally know what to expect when I go there). The characters that are recurring are funny enough to keep me interested.
The art isn't amazing to look at, but he tells a (3 panel) story well enough with it.
I'm still amazed he's 15. It's like if Twigglet turned all his adolescent hormones away from loving Bendis and towards making comics...

The site generally updates Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check it out.

8/10

*It's not a real review though. Mostly a plug and a bad joke at Twigglet's expense.

I guess that Mocktopus comic is good for a fifteen year old, but I don't get it and it seems like it wouldn't be my thing. The art is not bad though, for the kids age... he could easily grow up to be the next Jamie Smart or Jeff Lemire for all we know.

thefourthman wrote:I guess that Mocktopus comic is good for a fifteen year old, but I don't get it and it seems like it wouldn't be my thing. The art is not bad though, for the kids age... he could easily grow up to be the next Jamie Smart or Jeff Lemire for all we know.

I get that. He makes me laugh. He did the most recent Let's be friends again- which I think is a funny two panel gag.

Anyhow, I love a challenge and Amlah's idea of doing one a day for the week seems awesome to me. So I posted two old ones while I figured out what to do the rest of the time. I am reading Girl Genius currently cause it won the BF award for best webcomic, but that is a lot of stuff to get through and I will probably not make it by the end of the week. (In other words, expect me to revive this particular thread from time to time.)

While I read that one, I don't want to get all behind in the daily review thing and this next choice will lead directly into the choice after that ... hell before it is all said and done, I might take a look at all the ones in the op.

Anyhow, my next pick will be the current "issue of Dark Horse Presents"... but before I get to that, I figured why not take a look at the 2008 Eisner winner for best Webcomic, a little thing that started in DHP's first issue way back in August of 2007...

I am hella late to the whole Joss Whedon band wagon. I am an episode or two shy of finishing Buffy Season 2. I have never seen the movie and Firefly has not even had a viewing yet. Astonishing X-Men had an amazing first arc, a not so amazing second arc and then the second half of the Whedon issues fell flat on me, but I hate mutants, so it might just be me. His Runaways was voiced all wrong and plagued by delays that made it all jibberish by the end. It wasn't bad, just wrong.

So now I come to something with no real preconceived notions. Sugar Shock is the story of Dandelion and her band who quite bizzarely get sent to another planet to save the universe, I think?

It is manic fun, chaotic and energetic. It is easy to see why little girls like my daughter, Amlah and McKegan identify with the characters he writes. Dandelion never shuts up and as a result it is not always coherent, but the ideas are big and fun. Imagine if Umbrella Academy formed a band and went on space adventures together. Or maybe if Umbrella Academy and Young Liars fused into one conglomerate of insanity and you might actually be closer. It is an interesting and inventive book if not overly original or even expertly assembled.

I am guessing that charm Dandelion exudes despite her obnoxiousness is part of what draws people to Whedon. Even early on, Buffy and her friends are as obnoxious as the cool kids they want to be different from. That is clearly on display here, while the band can find fault with her, they also love her, despite her flaws. This and a few twists make this a great read, but also make one wonder what is going on with the Eisner voters. Sometimes, I think it is just a recognition thing. laziness ensues. Oh, Whedon wrote this is must be good... cause everyone loves all that other stuff he does.

Moon is amazing. His brother and that whole group are amazing. In fact, it may be the designs and Moon's ability to bring Whedon's insane ramblings together that got this one a Eisner and not some payola apathy machine. His designs are clever, breath taking in their fluidity, and fun. His art does more than match Whedon's writing, it elevates it making Sugar Shock an unbalanced piece instead of the breath taking brilliant statement one would expect when the words "Eisner Award Winner" are on the cover.

It's worth checking out, certainly there are worse ways to spend $3.50 if you by the recent "collection" from Dark Horse as part of the one shot program and judging from Dark Horse's talent roster and publication history, free is definitely worth the time to click around over at myspace.

It's not the comic reference, I don't have a context for the other characters. It plays as meaningless homage instead of funny gag because other than Batman, I don't know who anyone in those two panels are or what their motivations are.